Many of you probably assume that barbecuing is a simple method of preparing meat; on the contrary,
it is a cultural heritage deeply rooted in many societies across America and beyond.
Those competitions are often seen as social events where various backgrounds converge with one another to form an unbreakable bond over love for slow smoked flavors.
The competitive nature of barbecue contests results into lively celebrations during which relatives
who are friends and strangers get together to share their tastes and techniques.
These traditions, ranging from the selection of the wood used to cooking the meat to the final presentations of dishes
demonstrate a great honor bestowed upon
culinary customs and community spirit. Also popular among these types of competitions are regional styles, such as Texas brisket,
Carolina pulled pork or Kansas City ribs – they display unique flavors and approaches celebrated by various areas.
So what is a barbecue contest?
When it comes to a casual cookouts I know it might appear some kind of a barbeque contest but it is actually quite different. It is,
in fact, a structured cooking contest in which individuals or groups cook certain sets of offering like the brisket, ribs, chicken or pork cuts before judges.
These competitions involve precision, skill and extensive knowledge regarding the barbecuing techniques. At every moment, contestants have to
abide by very stringent rules and at the same time uphold high standard of quality as opposed to home cook outs.
The Sanctioning Bodies to Barbecue Contests
Barbecue competitions are ever held under the auspices of an approved organisation like the Kansas City Barbeque Society
(KCBS) or the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The preparations, cooking, and presentation of meat demanded by
these organizations have very clear guidelines which are meant to make sure that no team is in any way advantaged over others.
Barbecue competitions have a Structure and Rules of the Competition.
In each competition, there are various categories with different meats that are the target.
The teams are normally given a specific duration of time, which may be up to 12 hours or even more, to smoke or grill their offerings.
Every cook-off has to be planned and executed carefully,
and one of the elements is to time the cooking process to achieve the ideal tenderness and flavor of the meat within the competition timeframe.
In blind taste tests the judges will rank each of the dishes according to taste,
texture and appearance and then add their scores to come up with the final allocation of points according to overall impression.
Violations are checked by the judges;
otherwise, a team may be disqualified or receive penalty points. Such organization makes barbecue not just a hobby but a big culinary sport in which every detail matters.
